Indeed Colon looked as if he hurt his left hamstring in the seventh inning on Saturday afternoon. Colon was in the midst of another scoreless preformance, giving up just two hits to the Cleveland Indians.

The DL looks to be inevitable for Colon at this point, but another one bites the dust in the Bronx.

New York Yankee trade rumors speculating whom GM Brian Cashman should go after to fix the team’s decrepit bullpen are keeping the sports media busy.

The suggestions that make sense to me are going with what has worked in the past; and the three foremost things that popped into my head were:

Call Chicago Cubs GM Jim Hendry ASAP; first Hendry has to give a nod that the Cubs want to make a trade with the Yankees. If it is a go, start begging Kerry Wood to wave his no-trade clause and come back to the Bronx. Wood, better known as one-half of the infamous CHICAGO HEAT, was traded last season to Yankees, where he flourished as the bridge to Mariano Rivera. I thought the Yankees would keep Wood in 2011 season, but he was another causality overlooked during all the Cliff Lee drama. Still, if Cashman can somehow obtain Wood again things would straighten out really fast. In his short Yankee career, Wood went 2-0 posting a 0.69 ERA, allowing just one home-run, two earned runs, while striking out 31, in 26 innings pitched…translation go get him Cash!

John Harper of the New York Daily News makes a valid argument that the Mets should trade closer K-Rod to the Yankees. The Mets need to dump the big contracts to free up some money and the Yankees need bullpen help, which they will trade and pay for. Could this possible deal work? Certainly, but the extenuating circumstances might prevent it, like the Mets fans. Mets fans have been dragged through the mud, so helping the Yankees would seem a tad ludicrous. Last time the New York teams made a deal was on December 3, 2004, it was one has-been given, and a never-was obtained, so not harm no foul. Getting Francisco Rodriguez off the Mets payroll takes $18.5 million for 2012 and K-Rod makes any bullpen lights-out.

Dellin Betances, Manny Banuelos and Andrew Brackman known, as the Killer B’s are the Yankee top three pitching prospects that Yankee fans might never see. The talk about the three has been endless; especially Banuelos who fans got a taste of in Spring Training and displays the stuff of an ace at just 19-years old. The babying of these guys is getting ridiculous. Cashman needs to look at how Hughes and Chamberlain were handled and where they are now. Enough with the “RULES” just let the guys pitch and learn. I know this is a pipedream but Cashman might be left with no other choice. Joel Sherman of the New York Post agrees that it is time to give the youngsters a chance.

Cashman, unlike the majority of GM’s in baseball has endless resources at his disposal, which certainly allows him more breathing room to get the right fit. I have faith this will get fixed and probably with back-ups just in case.

The Yankees beat the Cleveland Indians on Friday night wit a final score of 11-7, so maybe this whole not beating the Red Sox thing is mental and more like 2009 than I initially thought.

Regardless, I have not thrown this team under a bus just yet. There is more then half-a-season left to play and so much is going to happen all around baseball.

Believe me, throwing in the towel on the Bombers in the past has never done anything but make the Yankees hungrier to win it all.

Cashman has my utter support and confidence that he will plug these holes and the Yankees will be playing in October once again.

Getting swept is not fun for any team that. Doing it at your home ballpark, in front of your fans makes it sting a lot more.

Add the above to the culprits are your team’s biggest rivals, and what is even worse…this is not the first time, but the second time it has happened in four weeks.

Now, picture you are a player on that losing team. The embarrassment and shame must be overwhelming; especially because of the disappointment you see all over the fans faces.

Well, the above is the New York Yankees reality. As I can only imagine the players must be beside themselves, as the Boston Red Sox made fools of them once again.

As a fan, after the first loss on Tuesday I kept the faith, only to watch things get worse on Wednesday night.

Following the second loss of this series, fifth in a row if you include the last sweep, it felt like the Yankee team was playing like they had lost the fight before the bell.

Unlike the Red Sox who came ready to battle. After starting their season 0-7, my hat is off to Boston for leaving New York two games ahead of the Yankees in the AL East standings.

So, what happened to the Yankees?

1.Sloppy throws and miscommunication on the bases can’t happen. First place teams, like the Yankees were just two days ago certainly are no exception. The Yankees just had to win one of the three games to keep them at least tied with Boston, but obviously they couldn’t even handle that.

2.Don’t blame the pitching, as the Yankees didn’t hit…. again! I don’t care how many runs scored with Burnett on the mound because the Bombers should have crushed Tim Wakefield, but instead they went flat. The line-up is a mess; Cano and A-rod have been useless for way to long. Tex is in a slump, and without Granderson the Yankees would be in serious trouble. It is nice to see Jeter hitting again, but the 3000th hit needs to come when the team is winning or else it will lose some of its luster, at least in the eyes of the Yankee fans. Continue reading ‘New York Yankees: Falling Asleep Watching The Red Sox Sweep’ »

This is not good news for the Yankees bullpen, who had the most solid group of arms to start the season and now the majority of them are on the DL.

This is unfortunate but fixable, but the Yankees have keep to together through this rough patch long enough for GM Brian Cashman to make it better.

Phil Hughes is throwing to live batters and there is no reason to not put him in the bullpen when he returns in two weeks. If you remember back in 2009, Hughes dominated in the long-relief role and he was a major reason for the team turning it around mid-season.

I am aware that this trio known as the ‘Killer B’s’ are still developing, but their talent is evident.

Brackman and Bentances have dealt with injuries and need more time to develop but have been noted as not being close to Major-League ready yet. Brackman has not been as effective this season either.

Without question the youngest of the three, 19-year-old Banuelos is by far the most talented. During Spring Training even the great Mariano Rivera took notice, as he told ESPN that Banuelos was “the best prospect I’ve ever seen.”

Cashman will exercise all other options before Banuelos is even a possibility. Cashman knows how special this kid is and the Yankees have messed up enough young arms being selfish already.
My bet is that Banuelos will make an appearance in the Bronx before the end of the 2011 season because there really are not many other solutions for the Yankee to go after. They need help in the bullpen or else the season could be in jeopardy.

In order to get there, the Red Sox had to beat the Yankees seven out of the eight times they have played this season.

Wow, sounds like the Red Sox owe the Yankees a dinner?

Well that I can promise will not be happening anytime soon, but the last time Boston swept through the Bronx it was in the middle of a six-game losing streak for the Yankees, so it needs to end ASAP.

Certainly looks like it, but before that happens let me break down three facts that have bothered me, as all this was really avoidable:

Just imagine if the Yankees had not dropped all seven games and pretend they lost six to Boston, would things be different? Yes because the two teams would be tied for first place, so losing six or five games not seven could have kept the Yankees in first, alone.

Fact is neither team is better than the other this season that is until they face each other. and the Yankees looked shell-shocked. On paper, the Yankees have not gotten even close to their full potential with their bats just look at their .251 batting average. Cano and A-Rod are bound or more like have to get hot, when is the question. When they do add that to Granderson and Teixeira, better watch-out!

Yes, looking at the past two games the Yankees pitching struggled, but so has the Red Sox. On Tuesday night, the 2010 CY Young candidate and Boston ace Jon Lester pitched horrifically. So did Freddy Garcia, but the difference is the Red Sox bats took advantage of the weakness instead of letting it set the tone. This is something the Yankees don’t do against any other team but Boston, so this is getting in the players heads. What worries me even more is that 44-year-old journeyman Tim Wakefield stayed in the game for six innings, as he got the best of the Yankee hitters and the win. No offense to Wakefield, but this iced the cake and losing this game is just unacceptable when the result is first or second place.

Huuummmmm…. does this whole scenario sound a tad familiar?

Yes, as this tune has played in Yankee Universe back in 2009, but is the above that kind of déjà vu?

Guess the best thing to do is hope it plays out the same way, but even with the odds against this theory there is no harm in having a little faith.

Thus far the only connection to two seasons ago is the look of distress on the Yankee players’ faces when they play the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.

The two aces, CC Sabathia and Josh Becket will take the hill in the closing game Thursday night.

Beckett is back to his winning ways this season, as the Yankees and Sabathia have fallen victim the two times they have faced him.

How bad was the thrashing Beckett gave the Yankees in just two starts?

Well, he posts a 1.92 ERA, allowing zero runs to score, while striking out 19, issuing just three walks, six hits, and has pitched over 14 innings. Basically, the definition of a Boston fan’s wet dream and Beckett did it twice.

Career-wise, Sabathia is an overall better pitcher than Beckett but this season the Yankees seem to cave at the sight of the Red Sox.

Scary to think that the team has the most RBIs and home-runs in all of baseball but can’t muster up enough power to beat Tim Wakefield. To me, the above translates into Sabathia having to be perfect.

Look, we know this is why Sabathia is the team’s ace, but without any run support against this Red Sox line-up, the Yankees will not be putting one on the left side Thursday night. This is almost a guarantee if the Yankees continue to play like this, even with the dominating Sabathia on the mound.

MY PREDICTION:

The Red Sox sweep the Yankees, winning this game 6-2.

As much as I want to choose the Yankees to win this game, the confidence is not there and why should it be?

I do not think Boston is a superior team overall, but against the Yankees they certainly look like it.

No matter if there were actually two Big Papi jerseys buried under the new Stadium, the Yankees look of panic against the Red Sox is very unnerving to watch.

I don’t care what the Yankees reason is because whatever damage is already done. So the time is now, and I mean Thursday night now, to finally cease this Boston bullshit.

A team cannot behave in this manner in front of their own fans, in their own home, against their biggest rivals. It is unacceptable and pathetic from a Yankees team this talented.

Please know that I have no problem with the Yankees proving me wrong here, while getting back into a first place tie with a win, but right now the odds are not in favor of that happening.

“Every hitter likes fastballs, just like everybody likes ice cream. But you don’t like it when someone’s stuffing it into you by the gallon. That’s what it feels like when Nolan Ryan’s thrown balls by you.” ~Reggie Jackson